The Strange Feline
by Larien Surion
Summary: Suzaku, now Zero, is trying to fill out the life Lelouch set out for him after Zero Requiem, when a black cat enters his life six months later. A cat that looks familiar, but there's no way it could be . . . could it? WARNING: yaoi content, m-preg, all that neat smut.
1. Chapter 1

This is a Code Geass Fan-fiction. That is why it is posted on , because it is what it is. I don't own any of the this except the plot, which could be very funny.  
Warning: To those of you who don't read the synopsis and just dive in, this story WILL contain Yaoi, meaning guyXguy sex. This may or may-not result in pregnancy.  
This story also involves shape-changing, meaning going from one form to another. Also implies character deaths.  
Note: The songs mentioned in this story are all Vocaloid songs. If you want the names of the Vocaloids that do whichever songs, please PM me. I'll gladly reply.

The Strange Feline

Chapter 1

It was unmistakeable. After the death of Lelouch vi Britannia, Tyrant King of the World, the body had vanished. In order to keep the public from knowing about the disappearance, there had still been a funeral, and an empty casket had been buried. Well, not exactly empty, a few of his belongings were in there, but it was still a mystery as to what had happened to the actual body, even now, six months after the fact.  
CC had vanished, too, for the most part. She stayed at the palace, a pizza-fed pet mostly. She didn't care. She had her Cheese-kun, and something she'd wanted more than anything in the world. She had her freedom, so to speak. A scar remained on her chest where the Geass Symbol used to be, but since it was where it was, no-one knew that the contract had been filled. And thus, she was kept in the palace.  
Zero, or rather Suzaku Kururugi, was also staying at the palace, trying to live out the life granted to him by the power of the Geass. The single order, "live", given to him by his best friend, worst rival, and beloved bed-mate, Lelouch Lamperouge. The same one he'd stabbed in front of millions as part of the plans for Zero Requiem. The same one he'd held, blood flowing over both of them, as Lelouch had whispered one small word before falling from the platform to where his sister had gathered his lifeless body and cried over him.  
And right now, Suzaku was puzzling over that singular word, when suddenly there was a scraping sound at his office door. Picking up the helmet, Suzaku put it over as he went and answered. He looked down as something rubbed rather affectionately over his leg.  
A black cat. A sleek, slender cat with a light ruffling of longer fur on it's head near the ears, was rubbing itself over his pant leg and leaving shed fur all over it.  
Suzaku closed the door and knelt, knowing he was going to get scratched or bitten. Arthur had done that, several times, when he'd gone to Ashford Academy.  
But this cat seemed to have a different idea. As soon as Suzaku put his hand out, it put it's paw on his hand, almost like a handshake. It even added a little pressure for a moment, like it really was trying to shake his hand. "Meow."  
"Well, you're friendlier than Arthur." Suzaku commented.  
"Meow." The cat followed him back to his desk and looked up for a moment before gathering itself up and attempting the jump. It had unfortunately hesitated in it's attempt, and didn't quite make it. Only the front half did, and the cat struggled, leaving several claw marks in the desktop before Suzaku lifted it's rump and it stood on the wooden furniture. "Meow."  
"I have work." Suzaku replied. Why was he talking to a cat? He turned back to the computer and resumed his review of the several prisoners that had been arrested during Lelouch's reign of terror.  
"Meow." The cat seemed to sigh and looked at the pictures Suzaku kept along the upper part of the desk, given that it was one of those really nice ones that went along one wall on one side and then came out to form the rest of the desk, shaped like an L. With a more calculated hop, it got to the top of the desk and sat, waving it's tail just along the edge of the screen as it pawed one specific photo. The frame was made of ivory and gold, and inside was a picture of Suzaku wearing his Knight of the Round uniform beside Lelouch in his Emperor's robes. "Mow."  
Suzaku sighed. The cat was starting to get annoying, given that the tail was passing right through his line of sight. It was a rather long tail for any ordinary house cat, and he'd never seen this particular cat around the palace before. He looked up to notice the cat had placed it's paw on the ivory frame. "Hey, don't touch that!"  
"Mowr?" The cat looked at him, taking it's paw off the frame, and tilted it's head as though it were asking why.  
"It's important, alright. Just don't touch it." Suzaku went back to his work, taking his helmet off so he could breathe easier.  
The cat lay down to watch Suzaku for a while. Occasionally, the cat would lick it's paw and fuss with the longer fur around it's ears and face, then watch Suzaku again.  
"This is taking longer than I thought it would." Suzaku muttered. "Some of these people actually belong in the prison, while others were just for speaking up against Lelouch."  
"Mowr." The cat jumped down, right in front of Suzaku and turned to the computer. With it's body in Suzaku's way, the cat pawed at the keyboard for a moment, only to get picked up. "ROWR!"  
"Stay out of the . . . what the heck?" Suzaku put the cat down, looking at the screen. Every prisoner that had spoken out against Lelouch and had been arrested was now checked off to be released. "How did you?" Suzaku looked again at the cat, who was now sitting there, idly licking it's paw. The way that fur fell around it's face, it looked almost like Lelouch did during the party to welcome Arthur.  
"Mowr?" The cat looked at Suzaku again, and he his breath nearly caught. Most cats had green or yellow eyes, and occasionally he'd seen the odd one with one or both eyes blue. But never in his life had he seen a cat with purple eyes.  
"Just what are you?" Suzaku asked, picking the cat up again.  
"Mowr." The cat rubbed affectionately against Suzaku's shoulder and cheek, meowing sadly. Slipping up onto the brunette's shoulder, the cat put it's paws on the curly brown locks and made a more playful meow.  
"Ok, so you're playful." laughed Suzaku. He took the cat off his head. "Do you belong here, though, or did you just wander in?"  
"Mowr." The cat wanted back on his shoulder, but Suzaku held it firmly.  
Taking his helmet, Suzaku put it back over and left the office, taking the cat with him.  
"Zero, you're finished early." said Cornelia. She was one of Lelouch's elder sisters, now the commander of the Britannian Military and leader of the reorganization of the countries that were receiving their freedom. "And what is this?"  
"It got in my office." Zero replied. "I was wondering you'd seen it before."  
"Mowr." The cat didn't seem to like Cornelia, and hissed at her, flattening it's ears back and showing teeth.  
"Not that I've seen." Cornelia replied. "Aside from the Geass girl, we don't generally have pets."  
"Mowr." The cat squirmed a bit in Suzaku's hold, making itself much more comfortable lying in his arms instead of being held like some stuffed animal.  
"That tail's fairly long." Cornelia observed.  
The cat hissed again, then snuggled Suzaku.  
"That's definitely different." the princess observed. "Didn't Arthur bite you?"  
"Several times." Zero replied. "This one seems quite affectionate, if not odd."  
"Nunnally's office is this way." Cornelia said. "She might want to see the cat."  
The 100th Empress of Britannia looked up, sighing when she saw it was Zero and Cornelia. "I'm about ready to scream." she admitted to them. "But only because Lelouch left such a mess behind when he died."  
The cat turned it's head away from her, curling it's tail around itself.  
"Well, this might not be the best time, then." said Suzaku.  
"What's that?" Nunnally asked.  
"A cat that came to my office." Suzaku replied. He attempted to detach the feline from his front, and only managed so after a lot of struggling.  
"Rowr." The cat looked at him sadly as it was placed on the desk. Before Cornelia or Nunnally could react, the cat had hopped down from the pristine marble and was pawing Suzaku's pant leg. "Meow."  
"Aw. It's so pretty." Nunnally got up and walked around the desk, kneeling to pet the cat.  
"ROWR!" The cat's fur stood on end, and it arched it back as it backed away from her, trying to get as close to Suzaku as possible. Looking up at him, the cat meowed again pathetically.  
"That was weird." said Suzaku. "The cat did something similar to Cornelia."  
"Yeah, it hissed at me." Cornelia added. "Still, I've never seen this cat around the palace."  
"Me neither." said Nunnally. "You should get it checked out by the vet, Suzaku."  
He knelt and picked a very grateful kitty up. "Alright. Thanks." He left, carrying the cat with him down to the outer courtyard, across the yard to where the palace vet lived.  
"A cat, Zero?" asked Rivalz. He had no idea that Zero was Suzaku, and the Japanese wanted to keep it that way.  
"It came into my office and seems to have taken a shine to me. I wanted to make sure it was healthy before keeping it. You know, in case of mice or other pests."  
"Rowr." The cat gave him a look that seemed to mean "You chase them."  
"Well, lets have a look." Rivalz went to pick the cat up, but it firmly dug it's claws into Zero's sleeve.  
"Oh, come on." said Zero, plucking the cat off him. "It's not like he's going to hurt you any." He put the cat down on the examining table.  
Rivalz touched the cat once, and instantly, there were teeth in his hand. Holding his hand up, he looked back at Zero. "Well, he has a strong bite."  
"He?"  
"Yeah, but this cat's a little weird." Rivalz said, finally getting his hand free. He felt along the cat's ribs and legs, getting scratched each time. The cat tried to turn again as Rivalz felt it's abdomen, and made the dangerous leap from the linolium table to Zero's arms as soon as Rivalz had let him go.  
"Mowr." the cat whimpered, rubbing up against Zero's shoulder.  
"So, what's so weird about the cat?" Zero asked.  
"It's a hermaphrodite."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Say what?" asked Zero.  
"It's got both parts, but from anything I've read on animals built like that, he's probably sterile." Rivalz replied. "At least you don't have to worry about fixing him."  
The cat hissed at him, scratching at Rivalz when the other reached over to pet him.  
"He seems pretty anti-social." said Zero. "Well, thanks for looking him over. I'll take him with me."  
"You seem to be the only one he goes to willingly." Rivalz added. "Well, bye."  
Zero walked out of the vet's office and looked down at the cat. "Well, calling you 'he' is better than 'it', but you still need a name." He kept walking towards his chambers, the place of solitude and only place he could be Suzaku Kururugi anymore.  
"Meow." the cat replied, watching as they stepped into the set of rooms that was Suzaku's.  
"There you go." He put the cat down. "You know, I've never been good at naming things." he admitted. "I mean, when I had a pet dog, it was Poochy."  
The cat looked at him with a bit of a frown, as if to say 'Call me Kitty, and I'll scratch you.' Wandering the room a bit, it found the mirror and started to fuss with it's fur.  
Suzaku laughed as he changed out of the Zero suit. "You're like a high pedigree person when you do that." He sighed. "I knew someone of high pedigree once." He sat down in his dressing gown and scratched behind the cat's ear. "I had to kill him. He told me to, in order to bring peace to the world."  
"Mowr?" The cat looked up at him, blinking his purple eyes. Again, the longer strands of hair fell just the right way to remind Suzaku of . . .  
"Lelouch." Suzaku said softly, a tear running down his face.  
The cat jumped up into his lap and carefully pawed the tear away. "Meow."  
"Are you trying to take care of me?" Suzaku asked. The cat pawed away another tear and meowed again. "That's the weird thing. The last thing he said to me, when I held his bleeding body because he'd fallen forward first, was 'Meow'. I still don't understand it, and it's been six months."  
The cat tilted his head slightly and repeated itself. "Meow."  
Suzaku frowned slightly, thinking. "Did . . . did Lelouch send you?"  
The cat's head went down slightly, and it's slender shoulders shook a bit as a sound like a snork came from it. Looking up at Suzaku almost playfully, it seemed to nod. "Mowr."  
"Well, I should try to feed you." Suzaku's stomach gurgled. "and myself."  
Food was a bit difficult. Suzaku knew nothing really of feeding a cat, given that Arthur had gone on to live with Milly, and that cat had been fed high-class canned cat food. However, a pair of heat-and-serve dinners found their way to the small table, and the cat ate quite happily.  
"Not a picky eater, huh?" Suzaku asked.  
The cat looked up from his potatoes and licked some off his face before going back to his meal. Once finished, the cat started to groom himself, making sure wasn't any food left on his face, whiskers, or paws.  
The rest of the evening was quiet, up until bedtime.  
"No." Suzaku said, picking the cat off the bed. "You don't sleep on my bed."  
The cat looked at the bed. It was the large four-poster bed that Lelouch used to sleep in when he was Emperor. Plenty big enough for Suzaku and a cat. He jumped back up on the bed and curled into a ball on one of the pillows.  
"I said no." Suzaku picked the cat up again and put him on the floor.  
"Mowr." The cat looked up at him sadly.  
"Look, I need my sleep. The past six months have been a nightmare, and I could just use some solid sleep." Suzaku said. He yawned, and in the span of the yawn, the cat was back up on the bed. "Oi." He picked the cat and pillow up and put them both down on the floor. "There, you can have the pillow. Good night." He fell into bed, asleep in seconds.  
The cat sat there, watching him for a while, then lay down on the pillow with a sigh. Idly, it groomed itself.  
It was early morning, the sun wasn't up yet, when Suzaku was woken up by something tugging on his pants. He tried to roll away, but to no avail. Soft, slender hands held him in place, and something wet licked his overnight boner.  
"What the?" Suzaku tried to sit up, but whatever it was was very predator-like, and pushed him back down to the soft mattress. One hand on his chest, the predator went back to licking Suzaku's hard on, before looking up at him.  
"Hello, _Master_."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Say what?" Suzaku was confused. There were only a handful of people that knew that Zero and Suzaku Kururugi were one and the same, and not one of those was a servant. So who on earth was it, holding him down in the bed giving him a blowjob at two in the morning?  
There a was a light chuckle. "I said, Hello Master." The wet appendage licked Suzaku's early morning wood. "Oh, this is good."  
"Who are you?" Suzaku asked. He couldn't even reach the lamp, and was starting to wonder who could be down at his waist.  
There was another light chuckle around his hard member, and the light pop of whoever it was pulling said dick out of their mouth. "Meow." The mouth went back over, and there was the heavenly sensation of licking and sucking.  
Suzaku moaned. "Wait? Meow?"  
No response, save more licking up the bottom of his shaft. Whoever it was, they were good at what they were doing. The hands were slender, almost effeminate, and whoever it was has nestled themselves right on top of his legs, so Suzaku was pinned no matter what. It gave Suzaku and idea of what was on him, though. The body was slender as well, almost skelatal feeling. He could feel the ribs through his flannel pants, which were now pooled at his knees. Male, though, judging from what was poking at his lower legs.  
The tongue licked up his shaft again, and then the warm mouth was over his dick, bobbing up and down, humming softly. It didn't seem all that strange, except for the fact that Suzaku couldn't see anything of what was going on down there, even when he looked.  
"Ah!" he hissed as the rhythm got going. He panted, then sighed. "Wait. I know that song you're humming."  
"Hmm?" Whoever was down on his dick paused their ministrations, as if asking him to elaborate.  
"Packaged." Suzaku said.  
The person started sucking again, working Suzaku's dick a little harder than before.  
"Gah! Geez, yur gonna make me cum at this . . . AAHH!" His words were cut off as he came deep in the other's throat.  
The figure continued to suck, swallowing every last drop. "Haven't been masturbating lately, have we?" they asked, pulling Suzaku's pants back up. "That was quite a lot."  
"Who are you?" Suzaku asked.  
There was silence for while, and Suzaku felt the bed move. There was a light tapping on the floor, and then all was quiet.  
"I asked who you were?" Suzaku repeated. "Hello?"  
But there was no response. Exhausted, he rolled over and fell asleep.  
"Meow?" Something pawed at his face. "Meow."  
"Hmm?" Suzaku rolled over.  
"Meow." The cat pawed at him again. "Mowr."  
"Ok, I'm up." Suzaku looked at the cat. "You know someone got in here last night, right?"  
"Meow?" The cat tilted is head, as if asking who.  
"I don't know who it was. They called me Master, and . . . well let's just say they did something." Suzaku sighed. "He was thin, almost skeletal, and he hummed that song."  
"Meow?"  
"Packaged. It was Lelouch's favorite, sung in my native language." Suzaku replied. He sighed. "Well, we'd better get dressed and eat breakfast."  
As he dressed, Suzaku paused in front of the mirror. There, across his lower chest, was a set of claw marks, but the scrapes were spread out like a human hand. He sat, suddenly weak, and put his hand to his head. "What's going on?" he asked.  
"Meow." said the cat. It looked at Suzaku, seemingly concerned.  
Suzaku swallowed, trying to calm his breathing. There were claw marks, like a predator, in pinprick marks across his chest, just wide enough to be a human hand. Not any hand, either. His hand. "That's impossible." he tried to reason. "He died. He fell against me. I was the one to kill him. I saw the life leave his eyes."  
The cat looked at him, and seemingly sighed before gathering itself up and hopping up onto the bed to rub against Suzaku, purring warmly.  
"Thanks for the concern." Suzaku smiled, scratching the cat behind the ear. He got up and made coffee, then rummaged around for a bowl to make his hot cereal in. A sound caught his attention, and he groaned.  
The cat was drinking his coffee, seemingly not caring that the beverage was freshly brewed and thus, very hot. He looked up at Suzaku, meowed, and went right back to lapping up the dark contents.  
"Alright, you can have the coffee." Suzaku said as he started making the portage. "Wonder what I should feed you for breakfast?"  
"Meow." The cat pawed at Suzaku's box of puffed rice.  
"I don't think that's safe for cats." Suzaku replied. "I'll see what I have in freezer."  
The cat watched him, finishing off the coffee while Suzaku attempted to make beef hot dogs in the microwave.  
"Huh. I honestly didn't think the ends would split and puff up like that." Suzaku muttered, putting the food on the counter for the cat while he finished making the portage.  
"Meow?" The cat sniffed at the hot dogs, then proceeded to eat, not noticing when Suzaku finished his meal and left the rooms to get to work. Looking around, the cat sighed. This was going to get interesting. He didn't like being left alone, and while it was in his nature to try and seek solitude once in a while, it had been long enough. He wanted Suzaku's company, and damn it, he was going to get it.  
Climbing up on the window sill, the cat pawed at the latch until it came loose and the window opened. He looked out. Damn, that would be a long fall if he slipped. Still, he wanted to be with Suzaku, and so he stepped out onto the ledge and started walking around the outside of the palace, knocking the window shut with his tail as he went.  
Suzaku, meanwhile, was reviewing the Knights of the Round, the elite guards for Empress Nunnally. Gino was still there, as were a few others. No where near the number when Suzaku had been a part of them, but they still existed. As he scanned them over, he noticed Gino was fiddling with something in his pocket.  
"Wienberg."  
"Sir." He stood at attention.  
"Pocket contents." Suzaku hated the helmet he was wearing, but it was necessary. The other knights didn't need to know he was alive. They just needed to know he was Zero, the Savior of the World.  
"It just a ring." Gino replied. "For my girlfriend."  
"Proposing?" Suzaku asked.  
"Yes, sir."  
"Best of luck."  
"Thank you, sir."  
"Dismissed."  
As the Knights turned to leave, Gino paused. "Sir?"  
"Yes, Weinberg?"  
"Is that a cat out on the sill?"  
Suzaku looked over. "Yes, it is." he replied.  
"Is it trying to get in?"  
"Trying is the key word." Suzaku replied. "I have other duties. Good day."  
"Yeah." Gino watched the cat, which stopped it's attempts to open a locked window and was now watching as Suzaku walked away. The cat looked at Gino, then got up and started walking along the ledge once more.  
"The tail on that thing is pretty long for a house cat." Gino observed as he left.  
The cat continued around, trying to find an open window or something in order to get into the palace again. As he walked, he failed to notice a maid coming to open a window until it was too late, for either of them. He was quite suddenly shoved from the ledge and fell with a loud cry into the shrubbery below.  
"Oh my god, there was a cat out there!" the maid cried.  
"Go find it." said Nunnally. She looked out the window, spotting the unmoving body of the feline. "Oh dear. It's Zero's cat."  
"Zero kept the cat?" Cornelia asked.  
"Yeah, I guess." Nunnally replied. She saw the maid come out and gather the poor creature up in a towel, then come rushing back in. "Cornelia, an you get Zero?"  
"Certainly." She left, returning with Zero at the same time the maid came back with the cat.  
"What is it, Empress?"  
"Your cat got knocked off the window sill." Nunnally said. "I'm so sorry. I don't know if it's ok."  
"He. It's a boy cat." Suzaku/Zero replied.  
A soft, pained meow came from the bloody towel the maid was holding. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see him there until he was already falling." said the maid.  
Zero carefully took the cat. "Why didn't it just stay in my room?" he muttered. "I'll take care of this. Thank you for bringing him to my attention." He made a short bow and left the room.  
"Mowr." The cat looked up at Suzaku, looking very pathetic.  
"Back to see Rivalz." Suzaku muttered.  
Rivalz was surprised by the cat, who just lay there this time and let him check it all over. "It's like a different animal." he said. "Well, lets get him x-rayed."  
"Mowr." The cat lay perfectly still, almost sighing when it was over.  
"Amazingly, he hasn't broken anything from the fall you mentioned." said Rivalz. "However, his body is severely bruised, and it seems he may have sprained his front left leg."  
"Mowr." The cat looked over it's shoulder at Suzaku, again giving the other a look that reminded him of his deceased friend.  
"What should I do?" Zero asked.  
"Keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't strain himself. No jumping up on anything, or down, and as little sudden movements as possible." Rivalz replied. "I can loan you a cat carrier if you need one. From what you said, he was looking for you when the accident happened."  
"Yeah, he was."  
The cat watched the rest of the day go by from within the confines of the cat carrier, and was grateful for his freedom again when Suzaku got back to his rooms. However, he was stiff and sore, and practically collapsed on the pillow that had been left on the floor. With his front legs stretched out in front of him and his back legs stretched behind, he looked like a teenager who'd just come back from school. And with that black fur, he looked like . . .  
"Why do you keep reminding me of him?" Suzaku asked as he changed out of the Zero suit.  
"Mowr?" The cat looked up at him, honestly not knowing what Suzaku was talking about.  
"You remind me of Lelouch." Suzaku replied, kneeling next to the cat and petting him. "You're both antisocial and social whenever you want to be, and manage to get yourself into trouble. You know, the first time I saw Lelouch after Japan had been taken over, he was doing just that. Getting himself into trouble."  
"Meow." The cat rolled over so he was belly up, and Suzaku rubbed his chest.  
"Huh. You have a scar on your chest, right in the middle. Right where . . ." Suzaku choked on his words. Tears began to run down his face. "You're so much like him. Why?"  
"Why do you think?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Huh?" Suzaku asked.  
"I asked why you think that is."  
"Who's talking?"  
"Down here."  
"But . . ." Suzaku looked down at the cat, who was now lying on his side, looking up at him with a mischievous smile. "It can't be you, can it?"  
"And why couldn't a cat talk?"  
"KEYAH!" Suzaku shouted, pulling his hand away. "A talking cat. There is a talking cat in my room."  
The cat laughed. "Oh, come now. Did you really think I was an ordinary house cat? I pick _your_ office to go to when I first manage to get into the palace, dodging several maids and one Gino Weinberg in order to find you. Then, when you complain about the prison files, I_ somehow_ manage to hit the right set of keystrokes to have all the ones that spoke out against the Emperor set for release within the next three weeks, with something already set up to help them back into society. Then, I eat the vegetables in the heat and serve dinner you cooked up, where no other cat would. And _somehow_, last night, I don't defend you against someone who manages to get your pants off you and give you a blowjob at two in the morning."  
Suzaku's face went pale. "How did you know about the blowjob?" he asked.  
The cat snickered again. "Who do you think gave it to you? Santa Claus?" He laughed again. "Oh, and as for that question you asked me yesterday, about if Lelouch sent me? The answer is yes."  
"I'm talking to a cat that can actually answer me." Suzaku said. "Why?"  
The cat tilted it's head. "Who knows. I'm certainly not arguing the fact that I can get around most of the time without anyone knowing who and what I am."  
"And who are you?" Suzaku asked.  
"Three guesses." said the cat. "I'll give you three guesses. If you can figure me out in three turns, I'll show you something extraordinary. If not, I get the bed tonight."  
Suzaku blinked. "What?"  
"Oh, come on. The floor is hardly comfortable. When was the last time someone cleaned this carpet, huh?" The cat pulled it's paw across the floor, catching several hairs along it's claws. "And it gets cold down here, too."  
"You're fussy."  
"No, I'm cramped, sore, and in need of food. What's in the freezer?" The cat got up, just like that, and headed into the kitchen. Dumbstruck, Suzaku got up and followed.  
"Hey, you're not allowed to jump up on anything." Suzaku scolded, picking the cat up before he could jump up on the counter. He opened the freezer, looking at the cat when he heard it sigh. "What? I'm busy, alright. I don't have time to cook."  
"Fine, but can I have chicken tonight?" the cat asked.  
"So, do you have a name?" Suzaku asked as he put the dinner in the microwave to cook.  
"Yeah, but it's not like I'm going to just tell you." the cat replied, watching the dinner in the microwave. "Like I said, you have to guess."  
"It's hard to guess when I know almost nothing about you." Suzaku argued.  
"Really? You seem to have found out a lot in just two days." He started eating as soon as Suzaku had it on the counter. "Meow."  
"Your tail's too long for an ordinary house cat." Suzaku said as he began to cook his meal. "And your fur is longer around your face than anywhere else."  
"Esthetics." the cat returned. He started eating the corn that was with the dinner.  
"You have an attitude, you know that?" Suzaku said. He watched the cat. "But I guess it's the esthetics that I really paid attention to with you."  
"So?" the cat asked. He sniffed the potatoes and put his paw on them before starting to eat. "Oh, perfect."  
Suzaku tried to go over everything he knew about this cat. He'd chosen Suzaku's office to go to, knew his way around the computers. Also knew his way around the palace. Didn't like Cornelia and had been afraid of Nunnally. Also had seemed interested in the ivory frame, and possibly the picture therein. The cat was scarred on his chest, in almost the same place Lelouch would have been had he lived through the stabbing at Zero Requiem. He also seemed to want to spend all his time with Suzaku.  
"Question." said Suzaku as he took is meal out of the microwave and began eating.  
"I might answer." the cat replied, finishing his potatoes.  
"Are you a boy?"  
"Yes and no." the cat returned. "You heard Rivalz. I seem to have both parts." He sniffed, lowering his head and flattening his ears back some as cat-calls and yowls started to come from outside. "Yeah, and all the parts, too."  
"You're not fixed?" Suzaku asked.  
"Fix me and I'll neuter you, Kururugi." the cat growled. He went back to eating his chicken.  
"I never told you my last name." Suzaku suddenly pointed out. "So, you already knew me."  
The cat said nothing.  
"You're pretty forthright, too." Suzaku continued. "Are you a reincarnation?"  
"Might call it that." the cat returned, right before burping. "Oh, scuse me."  
"And polite. So you couldn't be Shirley Fennet."  
"Guess one, and it's sort-of right. I'm not that clingy she-dog." said the cat. He lay down on the counter, watching the microwave clock. "Tick-tock. Time's wasting."  
"What, it's only six." said Suzaku.  
"Game ends at eight-thirty." said the cat.  
"That's still two and a half hours."  
"Meow."  
"And that last one doesn't count. I had already ruled out you weren't her."  
"Oh, fine." The cat looked at the floor. "Can I get down?"  
Suzaku put the cat down on the floor and headed back to his room. So, the cat was someone come back from the dead. With dark hair, apparently. "Has your hair always been dark?"  
The cat looked at him out the corner of his eye. "No." he said. "I was born bald."  
"Born or reborn?" Suzaku countered.  
"Tuche. Reborn." The cat sighed. "I've always been a dark color, though."  
Suzaku looked at him, a smile creeping across his face. "Get over here, Lelouch."  
The cat turned it's head, looking at him, and sighed. "You always were the pushy one of us, you know that?" he replied. "You got it right, and on the first official guess, too."  
"How did you survive?" Suzaku asked, picking him up. "And why are you a cat?"  
"I chose a cat." Lelouch replied, sitting next to Suzaku. "It was the only thing I could think of, to be honest. I was scared when I woke up. It was dark around me. I needed to see. A voice asked me what form to take, because I wasn't . . . human anymore. I answered without really thinking. I said a cat. The next thing I knew, I could see around me. I was . . ." He shuddered. "I was in a coffin. My own coffin. My first fear was I'd been buried. Turned out, I was at the funeral home. I managed to open the lid and got out. Ran for all I was worth out of there. And then, I realized I was no-where near the place Zero Requiem had been. I had to find you."  
"Why did you have to find me?" Suzaku asked.  
Lelouch leaned on him. "Through everything, you were the only one I could confide in." He sighed, looking up at the clock. "I was ugly and nearly hairless at first. It was so cold. I hid most of the time, waiting for the fur to grow in. That's when I started to notice things. I was more than just a cat. I could still talk. I could still reason things out like a person. I could still do things like me."  
"You keep looking at the clock." Suzaku said. "Something up?"  
"I need on the floor again." said Lelouch. "It's almost time."  
Suzaku put him down on the floor. "What's going on?"  
"Just watch." said Lelouch, as the clock on the wall began to chime nine.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Suzaku wasn't sure what he was seeing. The cat seemed to get bigger, and pinker in some places. Fur still clung around the shoulders and partway down the arm. Wait . . . arms?  
Yes, arms, and human-like legs, too. Fur clung to the hips, covering anything that might have been otherwise visible. There was also a bit on the calves and feet, as well as the lower arms and backs of the hands. The tail was still there, and so were the ears, but there was no doubt now that the cat could be anyone else but Lelouch vi Britannia.  
"Lelouch." Suzaku breathed. "How did you . . ?"  
"I turn like this at nine every night, and revert to cat at six in the morning." He sighed, not looking at his friend.  
"Look at me, Lelouch."  
He did, his face filled with worry. "You don't hate me, do you?"  
"No, I don't hate you." Suzaku knelt on the floor beside his friend. "I got so worried when they said your body was missing. I had a bit of a hope that ou were still alive, but everyone told to quit dreaming. That I had been the one to stab you, to take your life away." At this point, he was holding Lelouch close to him, tears running down his face. "I threw everything into being Zero, just like you had wanted."  
"I didn't want you to be miserable." Lelouch said, putting his arm around Suzaku. "I'm so sorry."  
"We should probably let Nunnally and Cornelia know your alive."  
"No." said Lelouch, pulling away enough to look Suzaku in the eyes. "The Lelouch they knew IS dead. I'm not even human anymore. I adopt the form of a cat, and I'm a hermaphrodite, now."  
Suzaku nodded. "Alright. But, how did the . . . thing . . . happen?"  
Lelouch tilted his head, confused, then started to laugh once he caught on to what Suzaku was asking about. He sighed and held up his right hand. There on his palm, marked like a scar, was the Geass Symbol.  
"You . . . took C2's Geass Code." Suzaku whispered.  
"Yeah. I was scared of dying, so while she was asleep, I completed the contract. The next day, you killed me in front of millions and set the world on the path to peace, just like we had planned." Lelouch fiddled with his fingers, biting his lip. "I . . . apparently I was already developing the parts because my Geass was from a girl, so when I took the full power from C2, it just kinda completed everything as though I was both."  
"How'd you find this out?" Suzaku asked. He put his hand on Lelouch's to still the fiddling.  
"When I took the Code from C2, a lot of information just kinda poured in. It's taken a while to sort most of it out, and there are still things that I suddenly find out I know about that I was pretty sure I didn't know before."  
Suzaku smiled, liking the light blush that was forming on Lelouch's face as he babbled on. "Shh." he said, putting a finger to Lelouch's lips. "It doesn't matter. We'll figure something out if anyone finds out about you being here. My girlfriend, or something like that."  
Lelouch smiled, blushing even more. His breath stilled as Suzaku tilted his chin up and kissed him, soft and loving. His eyelids fluttered closed, and he leaned into the kiss. He half-opened his eyes as Suzaku pulled away, his lips parted slightly. Suddenly, he threw himself at Suzaku, crashing their mouths together in a warm, needy kiss that promised more.  
Suzaku was thankfully in his dressing gown, and that was soon peeled off him as Lelouch kissed him, over and over, pawing at him and purring as Suzaku ran his fingers through the thick black hair and down his back. He looked up at Lelouch and licked his lips.  
Before he knew it, Lelouch was flipped over onto his back, an two of Suzaku's fingers were in his mouth. He purred, sucking and licking the fingers as Suzaku's other hand felt over his body.  
"You're so thin." he whispered, feeling the ribs through the flesh and fur. Carefully, he pulled his fingers out of Lelouch's mouth.  
"Happens when you have to scrounge for food." Lelouch whispered back. He moaned as Suzaku pushed one of his legs up, exposing his waiting entrance. A light blush had formed over his cheeks, it it got darker when Suzaku pushed his fingers in the wrong hole. He purred, though. The feelings were foreign to him, and Suzaku was rubbing just the right spot to make him feel really good. "Rowr."  
"Hmm?" Suzaku asked.  
"Wrong hole." Lelouch gasped out. He was leaking happy female fluids, which was helpful when Suzaku found the correct hole and began to stretch his opening. Warm purrs and soft mewls filled the bedroom as Suzaku twisted his fingers around, plunging in and out, stretching the entrance as gently as possible.  
Suzaku figured Lelouch was ready and pulled his fingers out. He spit into his hand and slicked his dick before making sure his aim was correct and pushing into Lelouch.  
Lelouch purred as Suzaku's cock sunk deep into his ass. After six months of nothing, it felt good to be fucking again. He nodded, and Suzaku started their usual, rough but loving rhythm that soon had Lelouch panting.  
"You're so tight." Suzaku panted as he picked up his pace.  
Lelouch only purred, his one hand down in the soft fur at his waist, stroking himself as Suzaku kept pounding. All at once he let out a very happy and satisfied moan, just as Suzaku came inside him. A few ribbons of white coated his fur, and Lelouch sighed, content.  
Suzaku, still having quite a bit of youthful energy, cleaned the two of them up with a towel before tossing it somewhere across the room and curling up beside Lelouch on the floor.  
He was stiff and cold the next morning. He hadn't planned on sleeping down there, but he had, curled next to Lelouch and hugging him like a stuffed animal. Suzaku yawned, tired and sore and thus, not in a good mood.  
"Stay here, got it?" he said to Lelouch.  
"Meow." He didn't listen, and instead walked with Suzaku down the halls to Zero's office, where he made himself comfortable curled up on the window sill, watching the world go by while Suzaku worked.  
"So, did you give fur-ball there a name?" Cornelia asked.  
The cat looked over.  
"Yeah." said Suzaku. "I named him Lelouch, after a kind and loving friend I had as a child."  
"You do know that . . . "  
"He was a kind friend, who protected his blind and mobility-challenged sister until his death during the Britannian take-over of Japan." Suzaku returned. "The Lelouch that was at Ashford Academy was just a shell, nothing more."  
"I see." Cornelia looked back at the cat. "He seems content to just sit there like a lazy brat."  
That was it. Lelouch was off the sill in a flash and had swiped his claws through Cornelia's pant leg, scratching actual flesh. He hissed, raising the hairs on his back.  
"Lelouch." Suzaku warned.  
He continued to hiss, only now, it wasn't at Cornelia. He'd moved around, and was now hissing at the mouse that had been on the woman's shoe. The mouse he now had cornered against Suzaku's desk. Every time it tried to move, he hissed again, batting at it with his paw until Suzaku came around and picked the little grey rodent up.  
"Sorry about that." said Suzaku. He looked down as Lelouch rubbed up against his leg, then padded over and Rubbed against Cornelia's as an apology as well. Then, it was back on the sill.  
Life continued like this for several weeks. Lelouch would go to work with Suzaku/Zero, sit on the sill and watch the world go by, chase the occasional mouse until it was cornered near the desk and Suzaku would add it to the growing collection of cages with tubes that lined the other wall. That was interesting to watch, too. The mice ran around, climbing up and down the tubes, through the different habitats the trails led to, only to keep going again after a few minutes in the cage.  
After work, Suzaku and Lelouch would head home, eat the heat-and-serve meals, and then, once nine hit, it was hot, passionate sex for at least one round, sometime all night, spotted intermittently with sleep until six in the morning, only to repeat the routine again.  
This was disturbed one day when Suzaku woke, groggy from the dozen or so times he and Lelouch had done it, only to notice that Lelouch was still human-like. He checked the clock. It was seven in the morning, Lelouch should have returned to being a cat by now.  
The realization hit him, even as Lelouch lolled over and snuggled his hand, purring.  
He was going to be a father.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Lelouch blinked awake to find Suzaku was still in the room. He yawned and stretched, suddenly startled to realize he was still human. He looked over at Suzaku, who was on the phone.  
"Yeah, I have a problem, Nunnally. - No, I can't . . . it's not that simple." He sighed and looked over to see Lelouch was awake. "I don't even understand why you need me in on a Saturday, anyway." Another sigh. "It can wait until Monday, Nunnally." He closed the phone.  
"Suzaku?"  
"I'm so sorry, Lelouch." Suzaku said, sitting on the bed. "I don't even know how it could have happened."  
Lelouch looked at him questioningly. "What are you talking about?"  
"You didn't turn back into a cat." Suzaku explained.  
"Oh, that." Lelouch sighed. "We probably got the wrong hole some time while I was on top of you. Aim isn't my strong suit, even with cat's eyes."  
"That means we're going to be parents." Suzaku said. "And before you even suggest it, I don't want you to hurt yourself or the baby, alright?"  
Lelouch nodded. "Actually, I was going to suggest figuring out how we're going to explain a pregnant seemingly male neko following you to work tomorrow to hiss at and catch mice."  
Suzaku blinked at him. "You still plan on following me to work?" he asked once his brain managed to process what Lelouch had said.  
"Yeah." Lelouch replied. "Being alone . . . it makes things happen." He looked down.  
"What things?"  
"Thoughts and Geass memories start to flood and pour in. I start to see things flash in front of my eyes, things that happened ages ago, when the Geass was worshiped by cults." Lelouch looked at him. "I see my mother as well."  
Suzaku walked over a scratched Lelouch behind one of his ears. "These aren't pointed like most cats."  
"Technically, I'm not a house cat." Lelouch replied.  
"Oh, then what are you?" Suzaku asked.  
"Black Leopard." Lelouch answered. "Also called. . . "  
"A panther?" Suzaku asked. "Why were you still so small?"  
"Like I said, I was reborn without any fur. I was equal to a week-old panther cub. Just old enough to open my eyes and move around. I got caught, by the zoo, and they did their best to care for me when I was a little thing. It wasn't until about a month later that I started to change into a human-like form overnight. I had all my fur then, so I escaped, leaving the zookeepers a note saying thank you for caring for me. They're probably confused as all heck, but I wanted to let them know it was appreciated."  
"You know, maybe we should go back to that zoo, now that your like this. They may be able to help."  
Lelouch thought a moment. "Ok, if that's what you want."  
"I want to make sure you're going to be alright through this pregnancy. We have no idea how long it's going to be, even."  
"That's true." Lelouch leaned on Suzaku. "I'm hungry, though. Can we eat first?"  
Suzaku laughed. "Yeah. I've got some more of those beef hot-dogs you like."  
Suzaku dressed Lelouch in a black shirt and pants, though it was hard with the tail, and thus a hole had to be made for it to hang properly. The trip out to the zoo was interesting, given that it had become common knowledge that Zero was the owner of the black cat, and thus it was in his Zero uniform that Suzaku made the trip.  
"You wanted to see our Leopard keepers?" asked the head of the zoo.  
Lelouch stayed crouched on the ground, pawing at the grass. "Mowr." he said.  
"Yes. It concerns my pet." Zero reached down and scratched Lelouch's ear, and he purred warmly.  
"That's a human." said the zoo head.  
"Correction, he's a Black Leopard with the ability to look human. I believe your zookeepers were caring for a tiny leopard cub a few months back that suddenly disappeared. There would have been a note left behind, thanking them for the care?"  
"How would you know this?" the zoo head asked.  
"He can talk, he just chooses not to right now."  
"Oh, a butterfly." Lelouch lept after it, very cat-like despite his humanish appearance, only to tilt his head. "Aw, it got away." He padded back to Suzaku. "Rowr."  
"It's ok." Suzaku scratched him behind the ear again.  
"It's human." said the zoo head. "And I won't interrupt my keepers for nothing."  
"Did Jodi have her baby yet?" Lelouch asked, making the head stop.  
"What?"  
"Jodi, the woman came out and picked me up when the restaurant owner found a sickly little leopard cub on his back step. She would have been due by now, wouldn't she?"  
"Yes, she's on maternity leave. But how do you know about that? She doesn't work out in the open."  
"Like I said, she picked me up, nursed me back to health." Lelouch replied. "Please, can we see the keepers?"  
"This way."  
The four keepers remaining were surprised to see Zero walk in with the zoo head, and even more startled to see the humanoid cat that padded in beside him.  
"What is this?" one asked.  
Lelouch padded over and sniffed his pocket. "Meow?"  
"Meow?" The guy looked at him. "Oh my gosh. Is it you?" He scratched under Lelouch's chin. "Hey guys, it's Blackie!"  
Lelouch purred as the others came and pet him.  
"Blackie?" Zero asked.  
"It was what they called me when they took care of me." Lelouch replied.  
"Oh, gods, he talks now?" asked one of the girls.  
"He spoke the first night he turned human-like." said another. "We just kept quiet, cause we knew he'd just become a study animal. To us, he was our little Blackie." She looked at Zero. "So, after he vanished from here, he went looking for you?"  
"Yeah. He was the size of a house cat, so that's what I thought he was. I guess I didn't notice he was still growing."  
"Yeah, well, why's Blackie look like this?" asked the first guy. "He should look like a cat right now."  
"About that." said Lelouch. "I'm pregnant."  
There was silence for a few. "Blackie, how'd it happen? None of the other Leopards have been out."  
"Tammy, do you know what this is?" Lelouch held up his hand, the one with the Geass mark on it.  
"I always thought it was a birthmark." she replied. "Is it something else?"  
"Yeah, and the reason I am the way I am." He sighed, suddenly feeling dizzy and faint.  
"Whoa! Tim! He's fainted." Tammy and Tim got Lelouch up onto one of the feline medical tables.  
"Who are you?" Tammy asked Zero.  
"I'm Zero."  
"I mean to our little Blackie."  
Suzaku sighed. "I'm his murderer, his friend, his bed mate."  
"You said murderer." said Tim.  
"Yeah. Your Blackie is the reincarnation of Lelouch, given a second chance to do something better with himself." Zero replied.  
"Well, looks like Jodi was right about you, huh?" said Tammy. She gently felt him over. "Well, he's gotten some meat on his bones, that good. We were so afraid he was going to end up eating out of trash cans again."  
"He was before he got to the palace." Zero said. "But I tried to feed him. He hates cat-food, though."  
Tammy giggled. "He preferred human food when we had him, too. So, what do you call him?"  
"Lelouch, after a friend I had before the war." Zero replied. "My friend was . . . he was a good big brother to his crippled little sister. Something happened to him after we were forced to part ways, and when I saw him again, he'd become the tyrant."  
Tim nodded. "It's best to remember the good parts." He pet Lelouch's head. "So, when did you find out he was gonna have cubs?"  
"This morning." Zero said. "He mentioned the zoo, and I figured you guys might how to help him through this."  
"Well, if Jodi's notes on him are anything to go by, you probably just got him pregnant. So that means weekly trips here with him for us to monitor things. If he follows the way things go for Leopards, it'll be 13-15 weeks before the cubs come. If he follows humans, well, that's 36-42 weeks, and out of our jurisdiction, mostly."  
"What do you mean, mostly?" Zero asked.  
"Well, given he's at least part feline, I doubt any human doctor would care for him."  
"True." said Zero. "Is he going to be alright, though?"  
"He just fainted." said the second girl. "I'm Casey, an intern here. My first day was when Jodi brought Blackie to us. Er, Lelouch. I've been wondering what happened to him ever since he vanished on us." She gently ran her hand along Lelouch's back. "I'm glad he found someone like you to take care of him."  
"Thanks, but I'm going to need to know what he's going to need to eat to make sure he and whatever is growing inside him are alright."  
"Here." said Tammy. "It's a generalized list for pregnant Leopards. You might want to modify it a bit for some more green vegetables in his diet. And, if you want, we can get you a pass so you can just bring him right here when you come by weekly so we can check on him."  
"It might be helpful." Zero replied. He looked at Lelouch, who was awake, just lying there on the table. "You're going to be ok."  
Lelouch nodded. "Sorry. I guess I wasn't really prepared for this."  
"Well, looks like I'm sending someone grocery shopping later to make sure you're going to stay upright through this."  
"Thanks." Lelouch pushed himself up to sitting, looking around. He tilted his head and slipped off the table, walking over to one of the other patient cages.  
"I'd watch out." said Tammy. "Erika's been crabby all month."  
However, as Lelouch got closer, the white Leopard in the cage came close, too. Both sniffed at each other, then started purring. Quite loudly.  
"I think he found out what's wrong with your Erika." said Zero.  
"Oh, goodness. Tim! Tim, Erika's pregnant." said Casey. "Oh my gosh." She headed over and scratched Lelouch behind the ear. "Can you talk to her?"  
Lelouch looked at Casey, then back to Erika. There were a few rumbles in his throat, and his tail twitched some. The other cat lay down and purred back.  
"She says she's scared of you." Lelouch replied. "But I don't seem scary, because I smell like Leopard." He looked back at her, flicking his ears and making some sounds again. Looking back, he sighed. "She won't let you, Casey. She said Tammy's better right now, because you don't really have experience. Erika said it's ok to observe, though, so you can learn."  
"Ok. I can still feed her, right?"  
There was a sound from Erika, and Lelouch laughed softly. "She said that's fine, and you can pet her then, too."  
"Thank you." Casey smiled. "You're so pretty, Erika."  
"Rowr." the Leopard yawned and lay down to sleep.  
"We'd better get going, Lelouch." said Zero.  
"Coming." He padded over, finding the more feline-way of walking a bit easier, even though he could walk like a person. Tammy said he must have earned a cat's flexibility to be able to do that, and he stuck his tongue out at her playfully before leaving.  
"So, it's weekly visits here now until the baby comes." said Zero as they got into the car.  
Lelouch sighed. He felt tired, and fell asleep on the way back to the palace. Suzaku carried him in, putting him to bed in his private chambers before asking a maid if they could fill out a strange grocery list for him.  
Lelouch looked over, still sleepy, and then curled up. He was going to need all the rest he could get right now.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** In this case, a neko is a human-cat hybrid, not a full cat.

Chapter 7

"What the heck!?" Cornelia asked. She wasn't the only one staring when Zero walked down the hall, trying not to laugh at the faces that were being made as Lelouch followed him. This was very difficult, as several people were pointing, mouths open, and a few had fainted.  
Lelouch just padded on behind as if he were still in his complete cat form, sitting at the door and waiting for Zero to open it so he could get in.  
"It's a cat." Zero replied.  
"It's human."  
Lelouch licked his 'paw' and started pawing his hair. Cleaning routine, basically, but it was rather humorous to see him do this in the neko form rather than his cat form.  
"No, she's a neko, there's a difference." Zero returned.  
"A what?" asked Nunnally. She tried to pet Lelouch, who jumped back and hissed. This was also interesting to see, as his hair really did still stand on end when he did this. His tail also stuck up and fluffed as well.  
Nunnally pulled her hand back, looking very disappointed.  
"She's a neko. A Black Leopard, to be specific, and a pregnant one at that."  
"Is that why you weren't in on Saturday?" Nunnally asked. "Or at all last week?"  
"It's pregnant?" asked Cornelia doubtfully.  
Lelouch sat, curling his tail around himself and licking his paw in order to unruffle his hair. Interestingly enough, he could control his claws, which was about all that differed from a real Leopard. "I can hear you, princess." he said as he fixed his hair flat again.  
"What was that?" Cornelia asked. She advanced on Lelouch, who backed up rather quickly to stand behind Zero.  
Zero put his hand out to keep Lelouch safe. "Lelouch can talk, alright. At the moment, she's pregnant, and in need of a lot of care. If you try to hurt her, I will defend her."  
"She looks like my brother did." said Nunnally.  
Lelouch looked up at Zero, then padded out from behind him, carefully approaching Nunnally. However, he backed up some as soon as the 100th Empress of Britannia put her hand out to touch him again.  
"She's skittish." Zero warned.  
"Why's it look like the former Emperor, the Tyrant King Lelouch?" Cornelia asked.  
Zero flipped a switch, locking the office and silencing anything that might be heard on the outside. "Go ahead, Lelouch."  
He sat and looked at Nunnally, than held up his hand.  
"That's a Geass." said Cornelia. She frowned. "You are Lelouch, aren't you?"  
"Not as you remember, and I like it that way." he replied. "I'm just Zero's house pet."  
"You're a freak of nature." Cornelia argued.  
"No, I'm a neko." He finished finally fixing his hair. Now that he was stuck retaining his human-like body, it was getting obvious that those were not the pointed ears of a house cat. "There is a difference."  
"And that is?"  
"The zoo acknowledges the existence of the neko, as well as other human-hybrids." Zero returned. "And they're willing to help Lelouch, seeing as he/she is the first to actually reproduce."  
"The zoo knows about him?" Cornelia asked. She was getting angrier and angrier by the minute.  
"Cool it, Cornelia, or Dalton's going to be pissed." said Lelouch.  
"What?" Everyone looked at Lelouch, suddenly wondering what he was referring to.  
Lelouch looked at her. "The uniform cut works well for now, but that baby's gonna show sooner or later."  
"What?" Nunnally asked.  
Cornelia looked down, placing hand of the firmness that was on her front. It was true, the uniform was cut just right for her to hide it now, but just by how little give there was left, she wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer.  
"How far?" Zero asked.  
Cornelia sighed. "Almost four months. I was hoping no one was going to notice until I made an official announcement, but . . ."  
"Don't worry." said Nunnally. "I won't say anything publicly until you want me to."  
"No one really talks to me unless it's about business, so we'll keep quiet." Zero added.  
Lelouch nodded. He lay down, suddenly not feeling well.  
"Lelouch?"  
"Dizzy." He stayed where he was, letting out a huff of air and curling up to sleep.  
"Does he do this often?" Cornelia asked.  
"No. The zoo said there might be an increase in his sleeping, but he's often asleep a good part of the day. He's only awake for about six to eight hours total, which they said wasn't good. We'll know if there's any deficiencies in his diet the next time we visit."  
"Best of luck." Cornelia said as she and Nunnally left.  
Luck wasn't going to be on their side. By the time they visited the zoo vets again, Lelouch's time awake had cut in half again. They'd actually had to come out to the car to get him, he was sleeping that much.  
"Blackie?" asked Jodi, the keeper that had picked Lelouch up from the restaurant where he'd been found. "Oh, you poor thing."  
"Actually, his name is Lelouch." said Zero.  
"I know." she sighed.  
Lelouch shifted, looking up. "Jodi?"  
"Shh. Rest. We need to do some tests to see why you're sleeping so much." She gently caressed his abdomen. "Don't worry, we'll do what we can."  
Lelouch lay his head down again, trying to pay attention to what they were doing to him. He suddenly propped himself up on his arms like a cat lying on it's side, looking around.  
"What is it?" asked Tammy.  
"Where's Zero?"  
"He had to leave." Tim replied. "You fell asleep on us during some of the tests."  
"What?" Lelouch lay down again, suddenly worried. He didn't even recall falling asleep. "How long was I out?"  
"Three hours." Casey pet his head. "It'll be alright. He's coming back tomorrow for you."  
"What's wrong?" Lelouch sighed. "I mean with me."  
"As far as we can tell, it's the pregnancy itself. You're not handling it well." said Tammy.  
"What do you . . ." Lelouch suddenly started coughing, lying there panting afterwards. "What do you mean?"  
"You were naturally male, and human." Jodi replied. "Now, suddenly you're female, a feline, and pregnant. It's taxing your body, and you're unable to keep up naturally."  
"So . . ." Lelouch looked down at his arm. There were tubes running into him, and his breath got quicker. "I can't do this, can I?"  
"Not without help." said Jodi. "That's why I'm back. They called for me, so I could help you. Without the medicine and nutrients getting to your body through the IV, you and most definitely the child or children inside you will die."  
Lelouch looked a them. "Sorry I'm such a pain."  
"Nonsense, Blackie." said Tim. "You were our favorite rescue cub. To see you have cubs of your own, we're glad to help."  
"Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"So, where's the black creature?" asked Gino. "The humanish thing that was following you last week."  
"At the zoo veterinarian's office." Zero replied.  
"Why the zoo vet?" asked Kallen. Adorning her finger was the engagement ring Suzaku had caught Gino carrying in his pocket a few months ago. Obviously, she'd said yes to the playful blonde.  
"Lelouch wasn't well, and it appears as though the zoo can help with the problem for the moment."  
"You named it Lelouch?" Kallen asked.  
"After a friend in my childhood." Zero replied. He sighed. Work was going alright, but he was seriously concerned about Lelouch's condition. The pregnancy was going the same as it would for a Leopard, but according to them, Lelouch hadn't even been able to properly adjust to his neko form yet. The strain of both was what was causing the issues.  
"Can I see this black cat of yours later, when it's well again?" Kallen asked.  
"That could take a while." Zero replied. He knew Kallen knew who he was, and she was very good at keeping secrets. "Lelouch is pregnant, and there are . . . issues. That's why he's with the zoo vet right now."  
Kallen nodded. As she and Gino left, she slipped something into Zero's hand. He looked down. It was a small note she'd obviously scrawled while he was getting Gino to report on how the new recruits were doing with their drills. In her rather elegant handwriting she'd written "If this is the same Lelouch I know, he's going to get antsy. Stop by later, I have his old chess board."

The chess board was a welcome sight, but Suzaku noticed Lelouch probably wasn't going to be able to use it much.  
Since his visit on the Sunday, Lelouch had been put on oxygen, and another set of IVs had been put in his other arm. He was having trouble even moving now, even with the encouragement.  
"Zero, you're back." said Tammy. She saw the way he shifted and sighed. "He's getting worse. Jodi said something started last night that's caused this. Another flux in his neko abilities."  
"What happened, exactly?"  
Jodi looked over. "Oh, it's you, Zero. Get down here, I need some help."  
Tim and Casey were already there, and looked worried.  
"What is it?" Zero asked.  
"He's getting furrier." Jodi replied. "At an alarming rate. Last night, he was loosing clumps of fur, started vomiting. That's why he's on the extra IVs. Now, in just the short time you've been here, he's suddenly getting thick patches of black fur. You can see the spots slightly, like printed velvet. Problem is he's starting to get aggressive."  
Lelouch twisted on the restraint table, snarling. Something looked off with his teeth. They were longer, sharper.  
"You got a mold?" Zero asked.  
"Here." Casey handed him a mouth-mold, which was abruptly put in Lelouch's mouth. He bit it, hard, but got his mouth off just as fast. It tasted awful, but also helped him regain a bit of his senses.  
And he slipped up. "Suzaku?" he whimpered.  
Everyone looked at Zero, who sighed. "This doesn't go beyond here, got it?" When he got the affirmatives, he slid the helmet off, tucking it under his arm as he handed the mold to Casey.  
"It hurts, so much." Leouch suddenly sobbed. "This . . . I'm hungry." He lay his head down on the table. "I can feel . . . something. Like a predator, but only angry because I can't move." He sighed. "Almost like when I became the cat."  
Suzaku reached a hand out and scratched behind Lelouch's ear. "It'll be alright. They can't let you move . . ."  
"I know. But I'm so stiff, and it hurts." He tried to move again. "I can't even get comfortable."  
"Lelouch, if we undid the restraints, would you still stay up there?" asked Tammy.  
"Except for the bathroom." Lelouch replied. "Gods, I hate catheters."  
"You may want to see yourself." said Jodi. She undid the clamps near her, and Tim undid the other two.  
"Why?" Lelouch looked down. "I have paws again?" He turned quickly, facing the first reflective item he could find, which was the Zero helmet. He pulled his head back, sitting on the table. "I look like a Leopard." He blinked several times, then proceeded to go about what had become normal routine of trying to fix the longer hair around his face so it wasn't everywhere. He looked over as Tim and Casey giggled. "What?"  
"Your tail."  
Lelouch tried to look, and almost turned himself around when he suddenly realized he still had the IVs in. He turned back and sat, letting Jodi catch his tail for him before looking over. "Oh, ha ha." The end of his tail wasn't anything really special, except for the white tip. It looked odd on an otherwise Black Leopard, though.  
With a sigh, he lay down again, looking up at Suzaku. "I miss home."  
"Sorry that you need to stay here, then." Suzaku said. "But until they say it's safe, you need to stay."  
"Things seem to be stabilizing, for the moment. If they stay stable, you could return with Zero this weekend." said Jodi.  
"That sounds comforting, at least." Lelouch said. He purred as Suzaku scratched behind his ear, and finally relaxed.

"I thought it was at the zoo." said Cornelia.  
"It took two weeks, but he's allowed home now." Sazaku replied. He reached down and pet the lithe Black Leopard standing beside him. "And the zoo vets will stop by on a nightly basis to make sure things are still going well."  
Lelouch yawned, showing all his teeth, then picked up the small leather case in his mouth and carried it with him to Zero's office.  
"How'd he get so big?" Nunnally asked. "Last time I saw your cat as a cat, he was just this little thing."  
"Yeah, pregnancy and a growth spurt will do that to you." Suzaku replied. "Well, that's one month over, two to go."  
"What?" asked Cornelia.  
"Until Lelouch had the cubs." he replied. "A Leopard is only pregnant for 13-15 weeks."  
"Lucky bastard." Cornelia mumbled with a smirk. She was wearing the maternity uniform, which fit her nicely. "Well, best of luck then, to you and your cat."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lelouch yawned. Thanks to help from the zoo staff, he'd learned how to control the changes, to an extent. 'Human' form was limited, and at least while he was pregnant, sustainable for only an hour before he had to change back, or risk problems. At the moment, he was in his human, or neko, form. Beside him lay Suzaku, hair rumpled from being in the Zero helmet all day, dressed in his pajamas with the shirt open still, and snoring like a freight train.  
Looking down, he placed a hand on his swollen belly. It was hard not to notice he was pregnant, and would be due soon. In fact, his offspring could come any day in the next two weeks. The zoo staff had tried to help him find out if it was one or a litter, but it was nearly impossible. Because he was a neko, whatever was growing inside him was neko as well, and could shape-shift like their mother. It was a waiting game, and one Lelouch was NOT enjoying at the moment.  
He grunted again, caressing his stomach to try and settle what was growing within him. "Shh. Shush. Mommy needs sleep." He sighed again and changed to the Black Leopard, lying on the bed beside Suzaku. "You are so-o-o-o lucky this isn't happening to you." he muttered before leaving a light 'cat-kiss' over half of Suzaku's face.  
Suzaku shifted, reaching an arm over Lelouch and snuggling close, his snoring stopping for the moment.  
It was about three in the morning that Lelouch pushed him out of the bed in order to wake him. "Huh, what?"  
Lelouch panted, unsure if it was just practice labor or the real thing. "Suzaku." he whimpered.  
"What is it?"  
Lelouch folded his ears back and mewled, edging towards the side of the bed. "I don't know."  
Suzaku got up on his knees. "You think we should head to the zoo?" he asked, reaching closer to Lelouch.  
"I'm scared. I don't want to be alone." Lelouch whimpered. He winced as he was kicked from the inside. He looked back at Suzaku and nodded.  
Suzaku stood and picked up his phone, which had a direct line to Cornelia. "Sorry to wake you, but can you send the car around? - Yes, it's Lelouch. We think it may have started. - Thanks, princess." He put the phone down and got changed into the Zero uniform. "Come on, Lelouch. We need to at least get to the car."  
"I can't move." he gasped.  
Suzaku touched his furry face. "It'll only be for a short while, but turn neko. I can support you, then."  
Lelouch nodded, and the changes began, only to halt with more of him still more feline than human. He was still quite furry, but he could get up on his feet so Suzaku could walk with him to the car.  
"So, it's happening?" asked the driver, one Gino.  
"We're not sure, but we need to get him to the zoo at any rate." said Suzaku. He gently pet Lelouch, trying to calm him some as they drove off.  
Jodi and Tim were waiting at the zoo side gates. "We got the call." Jodi said. She looked at Lelouch, who had finished changing to neko form as they had driven. "How long's he been in this form?"  
"Completely? About three minutes." Suzaku replied. "Come on."  
Lelouch just stayed sitting there, breaths coming slow and shallow. His vision was distant, almost glassed over, and he didn't move.  
"Lelouch?" Suzaku touched his neck. "His pulse is racing."  
"We've got the feline stretcher." said Tim. "Let's get him out."  
Lelouch lay where he was put, still limp and nearly lifeless. He knew they were prodding him, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him. It was hard, and things weren't hurting anymore. He was tired, and closed his eyes slowly.  
"Lelouch?" Suzaku touched his friend's face. "Lelouch?"  
"Get him on an IV, now." instructed Jodi. "Even if it's not time, he can't be in this form for long without help." She turned to Suzaku. "You gonna be alright?"  
He swallowed. "I'm gonna take time off for this." he replied. "He doesn't want to be without me, and I don't want to miss this when it does happen." There was a flump sound behind him, and he turned.  
Lelouch licked his lower lip and tried to get more comfortable, settling in to sleep.  
"I don't think any of us are going to get much sleep while he's like this." said Tim. He finished securing the IV to Lelouch's upper arm. "But at least with him here, we'll be ready for him."  
Suzaku nodded, sitting down. He didn't know when, but he had to have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew someone had shoved him and told him to stop the freight train. "Huh?"  
"I told you, if your going to snore, face away." Lelouch grumbled. "What happened?" He looked at his arm. "Never mind. I fell asleep in Neko form, didn't I?"  
"You passed out in Neko form." Suzaku corrected. "After making us all worry."  
"Sorry." Lelouch coughed. He looked around. "Where are we?"  
"Jodi said she was going to put us in the nursing enclosure. There's a rail that holds the IV bags, so can wander around without worry, but it's close enough to the Leopard staff that if you suddenly go into labor they can be here to help."  
Lelouch pushed himself up to sitting, taking a better look around. "This is off the beaten path for Zoo guests."  
"Yeah." Suzaku replied. "Tim said it was placed back here for the privacy of their wild cats that were in the last stages of pregnancy and after delivery." He reached over and scratched Lelouch's ear. "I don't even remember them moving us, just that they were talking about it."  
Lelouch looked over as someone came to the cage door. It was Casey, the intern. "Breakfast." she said. With her was Tammy, who had the change of medication bags.  
"You know, you should be in cat form." Tammy scolded as she changed the bags. "It's probably going to be the easiest way to birth, given that you're thin and kinda pathetic-looking in your neko form."  
Lelouch sighed and looked at what had been brought for breakfast. "You honestly see a Black Leopard eating salad for breakfast, though?" he asked, taking the bowl and starting on it.  
"Touche, but for the sake of the young, turn back afterwards." Tammy replied. She sighed.  
"What is it?" Suzaku asked.  
"The Zoo committee is touring the zoo today, to make sure we're up to par on the zoo standards and regulations." Casey replied. "It has us all on edge."  
"I'll say." Suzaku said. He looked at Tammy. "You have a spare uniform I can put on? It'll be a lot of ruckus if they find out Zero is here."  
"Yeah, spare coveralls are in the locker just inside." She looked back at Lelouch. "Let's hope nothing happens until after they're gone. While we acknowledge the existence of nekos, they don't."  
Lelouch nodded, swallowing the last of the salad. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he carefully made the change back to Black Leopard.  
"Come on." said Suzaku. "You should try to get a little exercise in." He walked around the cage with Lelouch, making sure the IV lines didn't get tangled. "It's a decent size cage, at least."  
Lelouch carefully padded up onto one of the rocks in the middle and lay down to look at his reflection in the pond. "Eh, it's not so bad. Better than the cat carrier."  
"Someone's coming." Suzaku reached over and carefully pet Lelouch's head, earning a nice, deep purr from the other.  
"And what's he doing in there? I don't recall you having a Black Panther registered at this zoo." said one woman, wearing a stuffy red coat.  
"He's the Black Leopard's owner." said Tammy.  
"So it doesn't belong here?" asked a guy in a starched green suit. "Get it out of here, then."  
"Can't." Suzaku replied. "Come on down."  
Lelouch stood weakly and carefully got off the rock. As he did, he slipped, crashing to the floor of the cage with a loud yowl.  
"Is she alright?" Tammy asked.  
Suzaku carefully felt over Lelouch's front leg. "Might be from the IV. Her paw's cold, like ice."  
Lelouch looked up and gave Suzaku a soft lick on the cheek.  
"So it's sick?" asked the third person in the group. A woman with wine-colored hair wearing an indigo maternity dress.  
"She is pregnant, your majesty." Tammy corrected. "And she's not handling the last stages well, so we're helping."  
Cornelia looked at Suzaku, who was trying to keep Lelouch from panicking. "The owner seems to love this cat quite a bit." she said. "Let it stay."  
"Thank you, your majesty." said Suzaku. He kept rubbing Lelouch's cold limb, trying to help the circulation.  
Lelouch tried to stand, testing his leg a bit before following along the edge of the cage until they were out of sight. He sat, heaving a sigh.  
"That was close." said Suzaku.  
Lelouch looked up at him. "Won't Nunny wonder where you are?" he asked softly.  
"Nah. I got time off to help you." He scratched Lelouch behind the ear, then ran his fingers over the thick fur that framed his face. As his hand traveled down, he came across another scar, this time on Lelouch's back. He knew this scar, too. It would have been the exit wound from the sword.  
"Thinking?" Lelouch asked.  
"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Suzaku asked. "Why did you let us all think you were dead and gone?"  
"I was afraid." Lelouch replied. "I didn't want your resolve to waver, even while mine was crumbling. I'm sure C2 knew when I took the Geass Code from her, or realized it after the fact." He looked up at Suzaku. "Though, in all honesty, the fact that Nunnally cried over me, even while the world rejoiced at my death, was comforting. Your tears after the whole event, those were even more welcome."  
"You knew?" Suzaku asked. "And you didn't say anything?"  
"I couldn't." Lelouch looked back outside the cage. "The code was resetting, mending the wound. I could hear everything, feel everything, but couldn't react. During the reset, I was asked what I would be, what I needed to be, and I said a cat. I never expected to be the one I admired most."  
Suzaku ran his thumb over the scar. "Why did it scar, then? I saw C2 after she was shot, stabbed, just about anything. There was never a scar."  
"I wanted it to scar." Lelouch replied. "To remind me of what I had to be to make the world forge- Urg!" He suddenly curled over on himself, one paw going to his belly.  
"Lelouch?"  
He caught his breath. "A spasm. I should probably lie down." He padded over to a leafier area and lay down, close to the door that led to the veterinary care room. "Ooh."  
"You sure your going to be ok?" Suzaku asked, kneeling next to him.  
There was a huff from the black creature in front of him. "It feels like all the other times." he replied. "I'm not sure what's going on, but knowing you're here, I feel better."  
Suzaku scratched him behind the ear, sitting down. "Well, if it get's going anywhere, let me know, alright?"  
"Don't worry. After me, you'll be the first to know."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Suzaku looked over at Lelouch. There had been a total of twelve false starts in the past ten days, four of which had been overnight. And all of them had been while in his Black Leopard form. Because of the inspections, the pregnant male had been almost ordered to stay in his feline form, and Suzaku could tell that the other was starting to hate it.  
"Are they over, yet?" Lelouch asked as he chewed on his craving food. It was an apple crumble pie, and looked very strange given he was a Leopard eating human food.  
"Today's the last day." assured Tammy. She changed the bags that hung on the rail. "So far we've been at or above standards, so today should just be getting the certificate of approval."  
Lelouch sighed, finishing his pie, and started pacing. Suzaku got up and followed to make sure the lines didn't get caught on anything.  
"You gonna be ok?" Suzaku asked.  
"It started, again." Lelouch replied. "I'm trying to walk with it, see if that will get anything going further." He climbed the central rock, looked around, and carefully climbed back down. Turning, he rubbed against Suzaku's legs affectionately and purred.  
"Love you, too." Suzaku smiled.  
"It's still not gone?" came a haughty voice. Suzaku glanced over. It was the bitch in the red dress.  
"That creature can't even get well in the ten days it was given?" asked the rude prick in the starched green suit.  
"It takes time." Suzaku replied. He noticed Lelouch wanted them away, that something was different this time. The breathing was heavier, and he could see the other's sides heaving. "Everything's going to be ok." he reassured Lelouch, petting his head.  
Lelouch whined, then padded away, lying down near some of the leafiness he'd become fond of.  
"What are you two doing over here?" asked Tammy.  
"We came to see if that pathetic Black Leopard was well or not." snorted the red lady.  
"It can't even walk without limping, now." scoffed the green suit guy. "It's should really be put down, it's so pathetic."  
"She's pregnant." Tammy returned. "And until she has her cub, she remains here, under our care."  
"You're treading a very dangerous line, Tamara." said the green suit man. "Remember who owns this zoo."  
"As I understood, it was Princess Cornelia li Britannia and her husband Dalton, wasn't it?" asked Suzaku. He noticed Lelouch was trying to get comfortable. "I have her permission to be here with my Black Leopard."  
The wind taken out of their threat, the red dress lady and the green suit guy started to leave when they heard a growly whimper from the cage. "What was that?" asked the dress lady.  
"It's the Leopard." Tammy replied. "Now leave. Too many people around can cause issues."  
Suzaku looked at Lelouch. "Is something happening?" he asked.  
"Sort of." Lelouch whispered. "It's hurting more, but I'm not sure of anything else. It's all inconsistent, but painful." He lay on his side. "I get the feeling nothing's going to happen . . . unless . . ."  
"You want to try as a neko?" Suzaku asked.  
"Things actually might get somewhere, then." Lelouch panted. He looked at Jodi as she stepped into the cage.  
"Tammy said you might need some help." she said.  
"Yeah." Lelouch grunted. "Is anything happening, or am I just wasting my time?"  
"What do you mean?"  
Lelouch winced again.  
"He means, will it always just be a lot of pain, and no actual birth while he's a Leopard, or are they actually coming this time?" Suzaku replied. "He's worried." Carefully, he knelt next to Lelouch and caressed his shoulder.  
Jodi felt along the heaving side. "These feel stronger than before." she replied. She felt under his belly, then looked at Suzaku. "I'm going to get Nanny."  
"Who's Nanny?" Suzaku asked as Jodi headed away.  
"She's an old Leopard." Lelouch gasped. "Called Nanny because - *gasp* - she helps the newer Leopards - *gasp* - with their young." He made a sad whimpering sound. "If Jodi - *gasp* - if she went for Nanny - *gasp* - I'm doing something wrong."  
A nose suddenly prodded Suzaku out of the way as a large, white-speckled Leopard padded over. She sniffed Lelouch over, then prodded him to move. He wasn't lying the way he should.  
"This is Nanny?" Suzaku asked.  
"Yeah." Jodi replied. "It's our last resort before human intervention. If things can be done naturally, it's best they be done that way."  
Lelouch started to cry. "Suzaku." he whimpered.  
Nanny looked back and grunted at Suzaku to get over there and comfort the crying Leopard.  
"Go. Nanny's letting you be there."  
Suzaku hurried over, gently stroking the longer hairs from Lelouch's face. "It's ok. I'm here for you."  
"It hurts." Lelouch mewled. He suddenly lurched forward, letting out an almost ear-shattering yowl, then lay down again. Looking back as Nanny seemed to be instructing him with her grunts and snorts, Lelouch saw what had caused all his pain.  
There, eyes closed and crying, was a human baby sized cub. Lelouch carefully licked the baby over, then pulled them close to his side. He looked back at Suzaku, tears in his eyes.  
"It's not over, is it?"  
Lelouch looked back at the cub, his sides still heaving. "Suzaku." There was another yowl, and he lurched again, nearly collapsing to the ground this time. Looking over, he turned a little to find his second cub of about the same size.  
"Is it over?" Suzaku asked.  
Lelouch nodded, trying to follow Nanny's instructions and clean this second one as well. He shifted how he was lying and tried to get the cubs to nurse.  
Nanny started to pace, growling at Lelouch when the two didn't do what they were supposed to.  
He tried again, whimpering. He couldn't get them close enough, and Nanny was starting to belittle him. Lying on his side completely, Leouch used his paw to get the cubs close enough to him.  
Nanny charged at him, growling and snarling. With one powerful strike, she knocked Lelouch away from his cubs.  
Lelouch struggled to stand. He wasn't going to be pushed around by this cat anymore. She'd helped with the birth, it was time for her to leave. She wasn't going to make him abandon his young. He snarled, putting himself between Nanny and the twins.  
"What's she doing?" Suzaku asked.  
"Grab the cubs." said Jodi. "We're about to have a cat fight." She scooped one up and headed for the veterinary door. As they stepped in, she shouted, "Two tranquilizers, female dose, NOW!"  
"Oh shit." said Tim. "Nanny's bullying him?"  
Outside, Lelouch and Nanny were at it. The older Leopard leapt back, dodging Lelouch's swipe, then came at him with her own claws. Lelouch howled with the pain, then leapt at the older one, biting her. There was no way he was going to abandon the cubs, like she'd kept telling him to. Those were his; his and Suzaku's. No old flea-bag was going to tell him to abandon them and let them die just because they were strange or weak.  
Nanny's paw came around and struck Lelouch's sore flank, making him let her go. Lelouch leapt up the rock, his back paw slipping from having just birthed. It was enough time for Nanny to bite him there, causing him to cry out again. He turned, but couldn't reach her. She had him at a disadvantage, and knew it. Her paws came up, digging their claws into his furry rump, and dragged back down. At the same time, she pulled back, making Lelouch fall from the rock.  
Tim stepped out and aimed the gun, firing on Nanny. The other howled as she was hit with the tranquilizer, letting Lelouch out of her grasp. She dropped to the floor only seconds later, and Lelouch with her, without the tranquilizer.  
"Shit." said Tim. He hurried over, Tammy and Casey following. Together, they lifted the battered Black Leopard and carried him into the care room, leaving Nanny out in the cage.  
"Oh, man." said Jodi. "She really did you in."  
"I will not - *cough* - not abandon them simply because - *cough* - because they don't smell like Leopards." Lelouch lay on the table, but still tried to look around. "Where - *cough* - where are they?"  
Suzaku came over with the one, putting it down right next to Lelouch. "Here. Nurse him."  
The cub sniffed around a bit, then latched happily to Lelouch. Moments later, the second cub was there, nursing as well. Lelouch relaxed, watching his twins, while Tammy and Jodi tended to some of the wounds that didn't need stitches. Tim held a towel to the leg wound.  
Lelouch lay down on his side as the cubs crawled closer to his chest to sleep. "Go ahead. I need some rest anyway." He dropped off to sleep.  
It was still three hours under the knife before they finished repairing the damage Nanny had done to his leg. They'd had to remove the cubs from near Lelouch, leaving Suzaku to hold and cuddle them while they mewled and cried for their mother.  
"Shush. It's ok. Mommy will be alright. Daddy's got you." He smiled, marveling at how the pair currently looked like little cubs. Already, a fine fur covered their little bodies, and their paws looked big on them.  
Suzaku sighed, softly singing to the pair in his arms. He'd sung this many times while Lelouch had been pregnant with them, and the pair settled as he sang.  
"I didn't know you had such a good voice." said Jodi.  
"Hmm? I was just trying to calm them." Suzaku replied.  
"You sang that before."  
"I sang it every day to try and help calm Lelouch's belly." Suzaku replied. "It's a war song, though."  
"What's it called?"  
"Thousand Year March, or something like that." Suzaku replied. "I'm not as good as the program that sings it, but thanks for the compliment."  
"Well, we finished. He going to have trouble walking for a while, but thanks to his strange healing powers, he should be better in a week."  
"Even with the Geass powers, it's still going to be a week?" Suzaku asked.  
Jodi nodded. "It'll give us some time to teach you and Lelouch the basics of taking care of cubs."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lelouch sat in his Leopard form, watching as his twins tried to move around. One of them was getting the hang of it fairly well, and was wobbling as he padded towards Suzaku. Falling flat on his little fuzzy front, the cub lay there for a moment, blinking, then rolled over, waving his paws in the air trying to catch the toy butterfly on a string that Suzaku was holding.  
He looked down at his feet, where the second lay. This cub had been the reason Nanny had tried to separate them. He was weaker than the other cub, having to put a lot of effort just into pulling himself along with his paws. Giving this one a nudge, Lelouch got the cub up on all four again.  
"Mowr." the cub whimpered. Standing was an effort, too, but one that this son was getting used to.  
Lelouch stood and backed up a bit. Feeding time would be soon, and the staff had told him and Suzaku to try getting the weaker one to have to move some to get his meals during the day.  
The cub noticed instantly that the food source he wanted was missing, and with careful steps, started on his trek towards Lelouch. It would have been a perfect effort . . . until his brother bowled him over and the pair tumbled into Lelouch's side together.  
Lelouch sighed and rolled onto his side so they could nurse. They'd been at the zoo an additional week, and were supposed to go home soon.  
"Car's here." said Tim. "Should I let the driver in?"  
"Who was it?" Suzaku asked. He was dressed in the Zero suit, and they knew when they got to the palace, he was going to have to wear the helmet anyway. It was just a question of if it was needed sooner or not.  
"Blonde thing, loud and obnoxious." Tim replied.  
"Gino." said Lelouch. He sighed. "Well, he's gonna have to wait. They need to eat, first." He looked back down. "Hey, no stealing food from your brother." He pushed the healthier one back, letting the weaker one return to his nipple.  
"You can start trying to get them to eat other things once they actually make a shape change." said Jodi. "I'd recommend softer foods, like portage, thicker soups, and soft stews. They are at least semi-feline, so meat is going to end up a big part of the diet." She handed the instructions to Suzaku. "I'll be by the palace in a month to see how everything's going."  
"Thank you, for everything." Suzaku replied. He looked over at Lelouch as the healthier cub belched. "We just about ready?"  
Lelouch looked at his weaker son, who had only gotten food from one nipple, while his glutton of a brother had eaten from three. "He's gonna need supplements." he replied, changing to his Neko form. Carefully, he gathered the pair close and stood. "Thank you, Jodi. When you come by to visit, bring the baby."  
Jodi blinked at him. "I didn't think you'd remember." she said, giggling.  
Lelouch looked back as Suzaku/Zero went to get the car door. "How could I forget? You would hold me close when I was a tiny cub, and talk about your baby that was coming. It was reassuring." He headed out to the car, handing Zero one of the cubs as he got in and buckled up.  
"So?" Gino asked as he drove them back to the palace.  
"Twins." Lelouch replied. He cuddled the weaker cub close as the little one nosed his chest.  
"I can see that. Girls, boys, one of each? Come on, don't tell me you had hermaphrodites like their mother."  
Lelouch and Suzaku laughed. "Boys." Suzaku replied. "Hey, stay in my lap." he scolded the cub.  
"Names?"  
"You're gonna have to wait until we get to the palace for that. I'm not repeating their names seven-hundred times over just to introduce them." Lelouch returned. "I'll be doing that enough raising them."  
Suzaku looked at Lelouch questioningly, even though it was obscured by the helmet. Lelouch looked at him and just smiled. Something was at least going right with the weaker cub. He was nursing.  
When they got to the palace, Nunnally and Cornelia were there to greet them, along with Dalton and the collection of knights that served to protect the two women.  
And Nunnally forgot everything about being an Empress and came running over. This was both good and bad, as it warned everyone else about the abilities of Neko.  
Lelouch, trying to shelter the cub in his arms, ducked and moved behind Suzaku, growling.  
Nunnally, thankfully, stopped where she was. "Sorry." she said. "I just wanted to see them so much."  
Lelouch sighed. "Can we get in first?" he asked.  
Cornelia nodded and led them all back into the palace, to what would normally have been referred to as the war room. With the way it was set up right now, that might not have been a bad idea to keep it with that name, but it was actually a play room for children. Half decorated and most of the items still in boxes or half assembled.  
"So?" Nunnally asked.  
"Boys." said Suzaku.  
"And the names?" she asked, practically bouncing in place.  
Cornelia put a hand on her shoulder. "Your Grace." she said, effectively getting Nunnally to settle down a little.  
There was silence.  
"What, they don't have names?" asked Cornelia.  
"Well, I never asked what he called them." said Zero. "So, I have no idea what they're called."  
"Levi." said Lelouch. "You're holding Levi."  
"And the one you have?" asked Gino.  
Lelouch looked down at the little cub in his arms. "This one is Izaya."  
"Interesting names." said Cornelia. "Is something wrong with the one you're holding?"  
"Born with a twisted leg." Lelouch replied. "He's learning to deal with it, and we have instructions on how to help him and what to do." He set the cub on the warm floor. "He's also the weaker of the two, needs more encouragement."  
"I don't see any difference between them." Nunnally suddenly blurted. "How can you tell who's who?"  
Suzaku smiled under the mask. "It's something parents can do." he replied. "And there are differences."  
Cornelia watched as the one Zero had been holding pattered off to play with one of the balls on the floor. "That one's getting his spots." she commented.  
"Yeah, I was surprised about that, but the zoo said it was normal to start getting spots at the size he his. He won't have his real spots until he's about a year old, perhaps two." Lelouch replied. He looked at Izaya. "Go on, go play."  
Izaya sat, testing the carpet with his paw a moment. The ball his brother had rolled past, and he tried to lunge for it, falling flat on his face.  
Zero put his hand out to stop Nunnally. "He'll get up."  
Izaya pushed himself up on his front paws, but there was some struggle behind him to get the back legs to work. He fell again, watching the ball bounce past with Levi in tow. He mewled, and Lelouch knelt, pushing one foot under Izaya. "Come on. Try again."  
The cub tried to stand again, his legs wobbling a bit as he got up. A few shakey steps, and then he was off after Levi and the ball.  
"They're so cute." cooed Nunnally.  
Lelouch and the cubs suddenly cringed, and Levi landed on his face. "Don't make that noise." Lelouch asked. "It really hurts the ears."  
Cornelia laughed. "And that cooing sounds bad, too."  
"Can I play with them?" Gino asked, still trying to keep his composure.  
Lelouch changed to his Black Leopard form and lay down. "After lunch." he said as the cubs pattered over. He put a paw down, pushing Levi away from Izaya. "You're not stealing all the milk, bub."  
The cub only looked at him and mewled before going back to his meal.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_Several months later . . ._  
"Oi! Give that back, Levi!" Suzaku shouted.  
"Meow." the neko teased, sitting just out of his fathers reach, holding the Zero helmet. His brown hair curled in little rosettes all over his head, and his spotted tail swished behind him. It was amazing, the fact that six months translated to almost three years old for nekos.  
"Levi."  
The cub cringed. "Yes, mama." he said, trying to look innocent.  
Lelouch stepped into the room, holding Izaya on his hip. "Give your father his helmet."  
Levi frowned. "Why's daddy hide his face?"  
Suzaku took the helmet back. "It's because this way, each person can see themselves as possibly being Zero."  
Izaya rubbed his eye, looking at his father. He was being clingy, and it was understandable why. His leg, the one that had been twisted at birth, was in a brace to try and fix it. "Down." he mumbled.  
Lelouch put him down and came around behind Suzaku. "So?"  
"I still don't see why they won't stay in the play room." Suzaku replied. He finished his work on the computer.  
"It's probably something to so with Clovis." Lelouch replied.  
"He's noisy, and loud, and doesn't do anything." said Levi. "And he poopies all the time."  
Izaya wobbled where he stood, falling flat on his butt. He sighed and looked at Lelouch. "Kitty?"  
"No, Izaya." He sighed and walked over. "Your leg isn't better yet."  
The boy pouted, letting his strait black locks fall in his face. While not a Black Leopard like Lelouch, he was a darker color once in cat form. "Up." He held his hands up.  
"No, Izaya. You have to stay on the floor for now."  
Levi walked over and pushed Izaya over. He grinned, only to get his tail pulled. "ROWR!"  
Lelouch frowned at him. "Apologize."  
"He's more fun down." said Levi. "Then I can play with him." He tossed his ball at Izaya. "See?"  
"You don't have to push him." Lelouch sighed and walked back to Suzaku. "I'll be glad when they're weaned."  
"You pamper them too much." Suzaku returned. "Jodi said they should have been weaned by now." He looked under his desk. "What are you doing?"  
Lelouch put a finger to his lips and lay down to sleep. He peeked up at Suzaku as the other went back to work and sighed.  
There was a knock at the door. "Zero?"  
Suzaku sighed. "Come in, Cornelia." He looked down at Lelouch, who seemed to be sleeping.  
"I thought they'd come in here again." The princess picked both cubs up. "Come on. Zero needs to work, and you two need to stay out of this office."  
"Daddy!" cried Levi, waving his arms towards his father.  
"I'll come get you once work is done." said Suzaku. He sighed as the door closed, looking down quickly as something tugged him out of his pants. "Lelouch!"  
Lelouch put his finger to his lips again, then carefully licked Suzaku's hard on. "You haven't been getting off lately, have you?" he asked cheekily. He licked the tip, grinning when Suzaku hissed.  
"Oh, come off it. You aren't riding it lately." Suzaku returned. He hissed as Lelouch sucked lightly on the head. "Damn, you're still good at this, aren't you?"  
Lelouch grinned up at him, letting one of his incisors lightly scrape the hard flesh. "Don't worry, Love. I'll help ease your suffering."  
Suzaku groaned. "Yeah, go right ahead." It looked like the rest of his work was going to have to wait.

Fin


End file.
